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So if B. A. is a degree in literature, history,... and B. S. one in sciences, what about majors such as different branches of engineering? Do we have an abbreviation for that?
-Does the word 'science' refer only to 'experimental' sciences or does it include 'mathematics' as well?
Came up with this when noticing that on my university student card is written: B. Sc. Student-English Language and Literature
(You sure notice the mistake!) So, I thought that what should be written on Engineering students' cards?
An argument could be made that B.A. stands for Baccalaureus Artium, and B.S. for Baccalaureus Scientiae, rather than for the English equivalents that just happen to have the same initials (and the corresponding "Master's" degrees, where the M stands for Magister).
You can't really make the same argument for the third Bachelor's degree offered by the university I went to. B.A.S. can only reasonably stand for Bachelor of Academic Studies. (This third option didn't require a major or minor, or even any specific classes, so long as you got passing grades in enough classes to complete 128 credit hours over some maximum period of time.)
Rafee said
So if B. A. is a degree in literature, history,... and B. S. one in sciences, what about majors such as different branches of engineering? Do we have an abbreviation for that?
The degrees aren't necessarily divided up that way. It's not necessarily the subject that tells you whether the degree should be a B.A. or B.S. In fact, at my university, computer science students could choose to earn either a B.A. or B.S., depending on what combination of courses they wanted to take. Some universities do indeed have a "bachelor of engineering" degree, but in the United States, it's more common for them to be grouped under bachelor or science.
The London School of Economics, for example, gives only B.Sc. degrees, even for subjects otherwise thought of as "arts." Whereas Oxford University gives out only B.A. degrees, even for subjects otherwise thought of as "sciences."
-Does the word 'science' refer only to 'experimental' sciences or does it include 'mathematics' as well?
I believe that "science" in this context refers to all "knowledge." The degrees come from Latin "scientiæ baccalaureus" and "artium baccalaureus" and the meanings in Latin aren't as strictly separate as "art" and "science" are in English. Mathematics is usually grouped under B.S. at most universities, but you will find that economics can be either B.A. or B.S.
Came up with this when noticing that on my university student card is written: B. Sc. Student-English Language and Literature
(You sure notice the mistake!) So, I thought that what should be written on Engineering students' cards?
What mistake?
In fact, as late as 1789, when the U.S. constitution was written, the leading minds of the day used the phrase "useful arts and sciences" and according to scholars "arts" referred to artisan ship or invention whereas science referred to pure knowledge, not only the kind yielded by factual inquiry but also the kind of intellectual, emotional, or spiritual knowledge conveyed by what we now call arts -- literature, painting, music, etc.
My university confers only two undergraduate degrees: AB, and BSE (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Engineering). The AB reflects their Latin word order. By the way, students with degrees in sciences such as Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, receive AB degrees in their various departments -- NOT BS degrees.
God knows I should have received a BS degree!
Rafee said
AnMA said:
What mistake?Well, according to what I had said, which was according to my dictionary, it should have been written B. A. Student.
As I noted, some of the workd's most prestigious universities award B.A. degrees in ostensibly scientific subjects or B.Sc. degrees in ostensibly artistic subjects. It's the university's prerogative; it's not defined by the dictionary.
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